The record of Boston College’s gridiron history began before a team even took the field, as enthusiastic students began to lobby for a team in 1889. Once the team became a reality in 1893, documentation continued in local newspapers and in the pages of student publications, Stylus (beginning with the 1894 season), Sub Turri (1912 season), and The Heights (1919 season). Rich in Eagles football history, these sources not only include photographs and articles, but also artwork, editorials, and game and season summaries.
The most dedicated chroniclers of this sport are the Athletics Department’s media relations staff, whose football media guide is an entire history of the sport at Boston College, created anew every year. Other notable authors of published works about Eagles football are alumni Nat Hasenfus ’22 and Reid Oslin ’68, and sportswriter Jack Falla.
This exhibit is a sampling of records held by the Boston College Archives(1). They were created by students and alumni, faculty and administrators, managers and marketers – Superfans!
How can you find this type of item? Much can be viewed online, including Sub Turri, The Heights, and Stylus. Many photographs are also available online; those that are not may be used by anyone, here in the Boston College Archives in the Bapst building. Collections of artifacts, programs, and correspondence are also available on request.
(1. For conservation reasons, many items in this display are reproductions.)